Mel Gibson movie relocates Mexican inmates

MEXICO CITY (Hollywood Reporter) - More than 200 inmates in the Mexican city of Veracruz have been transferred to alternate prisons so that a Mel Gibson movie can begin shooting inside the emptied wing.

According to media reports, the move over the weekend drew the ire of many inmates’ relatives, who had been gathering for several weeks outside the Ignacio Allende prison to protest the relocation.

Many families regularly deliver food and other essential items to the prisoners. Demonstrators say the inmates’ new locations will make visits more difficult and cause economic hardship to the families.

Gibson will star in the action drama “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” The story, which Gibson also wrote, centers on a career criminal struggling to survive in a Mexican prison. Gibson protege Adrian Grunberg reportedly is directing. The start date and other production details have been kept under wraps.

Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera, who announced in December that an area in the prison would be cleared out for the production, did not respond to requests seeking comment. Gibson’s action film “Apocalypto” was also shot in Veracruz.